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Featured Research

The price tag for informal caregiving of elderly people by friends and relatives in the U.S. comes to $522 billion a year. Replacing that care with unskilled paid care at minimum wage would cost $221 billion, while replacing it with skilled nursing care would cost $642 billion.

Pennsylvania is within the U.S. region that has the highest incidence of reported Legionnaires' disease. Guidelines for community hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, and high-rise retirement facilities provide information on Legionella and how to minimize its occurrence and impact on people and the environment.

A December 2013 workshop evaluated possible outcomes from the Syrian civil war, but the period through August 2014 brought many changes. A reassessment of the workshop's findings shows that while a regime victory now appears to be likely, it would not be as big of a blow to ISIS due to the group's territorial gains in Iraq.

The removal of existing barriers to foreign direct direct investment and non-tariff trade barriers within the European Union could boost total intra-EU merchandise exports up to 7 per cent in the long-term. These effects would vary by Member State, and by sector of the internal market.

Reduced young-adult enrollment in the individual health insurance market created under the Affordable Care Act would lead to modest premium increases; however, eliminating tax credits would substantially increase premiums and reduce enrollment.

Eliminating subsidies that help low- and moderate-income people purchase coverage through government-run health insurance marketplaces would boost costs for consumers as much as 43 percent and cause more than 11 million Americans to lose their health insurance.

Infrastructure (devices, software, and connectivity) should support technology's potential to improve learning and build digital literacy among young kids. But many factors make “adequate infrastructure” a moving target, such as the myriad of choices on the market.

French Army operations in Mali provide an example of how a technologically sophisticated army organizes and fields an expeditionary force. While the French way of war may not be optimal for U.S. commanders, who have greater resources at their disposal, the Army should still examine it for useful insights.

Malpractice reform has been advocated by many experts as a key to reining in health care costs. Three states raised the standard for malpractice in the emergency room to gross negligence, but that did not translate into less-expensive care.

Lessons from the past 13 years of war provide insight into the future operating environment and identify critical requirements for land and special operations forces to collaborate successfully with various partners in future conflicts.

San Francisco opened the Community Justice Center in 2009 to serve its Tenderloin district and adjacent neighborhoods. Those arrested for an eligible offense in the Center catchment area after it opened were 8.9 to 10.3 percent less likely to be rearrested within one year.

Appropriate technology use by young kids has traditionally focused on a single, blunt measure: “screen time.” But technology and patterns of use have changed. A more comprehensive definition should also consider what technology and content kids use, how they use it, and why.

Buprenorphine is an effective alternative to methadone for treating opioid dependence because it can be taken at home rather than requiring patients to report daily to a licensed clinic. But it can only be prescribed by physicians who complete special training and obtain a waiver.

Both special operations forces and cyber forces are small teams of highly skilled specialists, and both communities value skilled personnel above all else. What lessons can be drawn from a review of the commonalities, similarities, and differences between U.S. cyber forces and early U.S. special forces?

Federal employee pay freezes and unpaid furloughs have raised concerns about the ability of the federal civil service to attract and retain personnel. RAND's dynamic retention model has been extended to assess how such actions could affect DoD civil service employment.

Despite efforts of both the DoD and the Veterans Health Administration to enhance mental health services, many service members still do not seek needed care. Defense officials have made a concerted effort to promote treatment as a way to reduce stigma.

Public and private organizations serve millions of children and families in the United States. But how many of these programs are effective? The Promising Practices Network provides insight into which child and family programs are achieving their goals.

Budget tightening has presented police departments with challenging questions about how to deliver public safety more efficiently. Can information technology investments increase efficiency in policing, and do so cost-effectively?

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RAND research is conducted by individual business units also called research programs. Often, several RAND research programs collaborate to conduct work for a specific policy focus area. RAND research programs are listed below.

Researcher Spotlight

Physical Scientist

Abbie Tingstad is a physical scientist at RAND and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research focuses on issues related to security, defense, and climate change. Some recent projects include work on acquisition and technology, force employment, future planning, unmanned…

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